Sunday, May 30, 2004

Academics and university interests are closely watching the Ave MariaUniversity, proposed to be built on the farmlands near Immokalee, Florida.

Thomas Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, is largely funding the newschool as his private educational empire to emphasise his ultra-conservativeviews. But, some are worried. Dr. John Hittinger, former academic dean atSt. Mary's College in Michigan wrote "Mr. Monaghan seems oblivious to Churchdoctrine on social justice in his treatment of faculty and staff as 'at will' employees. He also spurns centuries-old academic customs and protocols,especially those pertaining to faculty status and governance." St. MarysCollege in Michigan was bought and sold by Monaghan last year. And now onthe blocks seems to be Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Michael Rose wrote in Cruxnews.com about Monaghan's plans to dump theMichigan college leaving some students and graduate wondering what their AveMaria College degrees will be worth.

"Ave Maria College, founded in 1998, was once the flagship of Tom Monaghan'seducational empire. When he decided to lead his Ave Maria Foundation down toFlorida's Big Cyprus Swamp in hopes of building a Catholic Xanadu, less thanhalf of the faculty and staff volunteered to follow the emperor and hismoney.

...in two different issues of the college's magazine Annunciation (Winter2003 and Spring 2003), former President Michael J. Healy clearly andstrongly re-affirmed Monaghan's promise to parents and students that theincoming class of 2003 would be able to graduate from Ave Maria College inMichigan. Furthermore, during a November 19, 2002 board of trustees meeting,it was reported that "the Ave Maria Foundation is committed to fund AveMaria College [Michigan] a minimum of $25 million if necessary to coveroperating deficits over a four-year period, beginning fiscal year July 1,2002."

But no. Rather than simply committing to help the college transition toself-sufficiency, thereby allowing Ave Maria's original educational missionto continue, Monaghan and his Ave Maria Foundation now appear to want todismantle the healthy Michigan campus along with the faculty, staff, andstudents who are less than excited to see if his Florida experiment willlast longer than his St. Mary's project.

If Ave Maria Michigan disappears into the structure of another university,Monaghan might in fact save a big chunk of the promised $25 million.Moreover, according to several faculty members, plans were laid to cart offmost of the library books and computers from the Michigan college while thestudents are home for the summer, working to earn money for next semester'stuition. "'Everything' is destined for Florida," Father Fessio confirmed.

Monaghan and his cronies seem to have no real conception that a Catholiccollege is a vast cooperative enterprise between numerous donors (big andlittle), as well as staff, faculty, students, parents, and bishops. It evenincludes cooperating with those families who moved into the area to be neara center of Catholic life and culture, as well as with other neighbors whojust plain wish the place well.

Tom Monaghan seems instead to regard Ave Maria as a banana republic, ofwhich he is the sole monarch. This is not the attitude of subsidiarity withwhich a major Catholic educational enterprise should be launched andconducted. As John Hittinger noted last year, "the quest for renewal ofCatholic higher education has taken some wrong turns under the Ave Mariaauspices."

Air Force Airman Jonathon R. Chirila has graduated from basic militarytraining at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. During the sixweeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization,and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches,and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field trainingexercises, and special training in human relations. In addition, airmen whocomplete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through theCommunity College of the Air Force. Chirila is the son of Wanda Chirila ofEvans Road, LaBelle. He is a 2003 graduate of Temple Christian School, FortMyers.

Saturday, May 29, 2004

It was LaBelle Municipal Airport's second annual Freedom Day celebration. Featured this year were over 500 motorcyclists who paraded from downtown LaBelle to the airport where thousands of aviation fans looked over dozens of classic, antique and military aircraft and enjoyed flybys of famous classic aircraft.

GCJ4B3 Conners Highway by team:CHETT: "Mr. Conners was a big man in the history of Okeechobee
W.J. 'Fingy' Conners started out his career as a cabin boy on a great lakes steamer at age 13. When he got a litle older he became a stevedore and by hard work..and some politics..soon became boss of all the stevedores on the great lakes, and made a fortune.
In the early 1900s he came to Florida and fell in with the high society folks on Palm Beach. In 1917 he invested $40,000 in 4000 acres of sawgrass land to farm and this was just the start of his land speculation. within a few years he owned all the land between Canal Point and Okeechobee, and then, by golly, he bought the whole townsite of Okeechbee too.
Well, Conners owned all these thosands and thousands of acres, but there was almost no way to get to any of it. He decided that he would build himself a highway to his town and charge a toll for those who used it. He petitioned the government and got permission to build a toll road from 20 mile bend in Palm Beach county to the lakeshore curve south of Okeechobee. This 52 mile road was started on Oct. 16, 1924 and an incredible eight months later it was finished! On July 24, 1925 2000 cars lined up and made the drive from Palm Beach, paying the $1.25 toll, and came to the grand opening of Conners Highway. The road was soon bringing in over a thosand dollars a day in tolls and people were coming to Okeechobee and buying Mr. Conner' property left and right, and he soon became a multi-millionaire.
Conners built a large house on the lakeshore curve right near the toll booth. The cache is located directly across the road from the site of the house."

LABELLE, FL. (May 27, 2004) -- Florida Agriculture and Consumer ServicesCommissioner Charles H. Bronson is reminding residents to keep their homes,pets and livestock in mind while preparing for hurricane season, whichbegins June 1 and lasts until November 30. Forecasters are predicting 12to 15 tropical storms in Florida this year, with six to eight systemsbecoming hurricanes.

"Many people are diligent about stocking up on batteries, non-perishablefood and water in the event of a hurricane, but there are other criticalsteps that must be taken to prevent loss of life and property," Bronsonsaid.

Bronson is providing some tips for residents to use to prepare for ahurricane or other natural disaster and to keep in mind should a hurricanestrike:

PROPANE GAS

-- If forced to evacuate, turn off the propane tank service valve and theshut-off valve on all propane appliances.

-- Appliance and equipment controls that have been under water should beinspected by the gas company and the controls replaced prior to being putback into service.

FOOD SAFETY

-- Stock up with foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking.

-- All food contaminated by flood water (except undamaged metal cans)should be discarded.

-- Undamaged cans as well as refrigerators, counters, cookware dishes andglassware contaminated by flood water should be washed, rinsed andsanitized in a solution of two teaspoons of chlorine bleach per gallon ofroom temperature potable water.

-- Keep several gallons of bottled water available. If under a boil-waternotice, do not use tap water or make ice without boiling first.

ENVIRONMENTAL

-- Store lawn chemicals and fertilizers off the ground and in a locationnot subject to flooding.

PETS AND SMALL ANIMAL SAFETY

-- Keep ID tags and vaccinations up to date.

-- Prepare a pet survival kit, including food for two weeks, a manual canopener, medications, a pet carrier, bedding and vaccination records.

-- If you plan to board a pet, make written arrangements in advance, wellbefore a storm threatens.

-- The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has prepared a helpfulbrochure "Disaster Preparedness for Pets," which is on the web athttp://www.hsus.org/ace/18732.

HORSES AND LIVESTOCK

-- Keep vaccinations and other health requirements up to date.

-- If possible, make arrangements in advance for evacuation of horses.Know where you can take your horses for shelter along your evacuationroute. Make sure your horse trailer is "ready to go" or other transportarrangements are prepared well in advance. Carry your vaccination recordand health papers with you.

-- If not evacuating, make sure animals have access to high ground in caseof flooding.

-- Check all gates, fences and enclosures for loose parts and overallsturdiness.

-- Secure equipment, small sheds and other items that may become flyingdebris and injure animals.

PRICE-GOUGING

-- Following a disaster declaration, it is illegal in Florida to chargeexcessive prices for essential items such as gas, food, ice, lumber and, ifevacuated, lodging. Residents should report any price-gouging by calling1-800-HELPFLA (1-800-435-7352).

POST-DISASTER SCAMS

-- Con artists may prey on residents who suffer home damage by offering torepair the damage with materials left over from a previous job. Citizenscan protect themselves by checking with the local building department orwith the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to makesure the contractor is licensed. They should also ask for and verify localreferences.

-- Charity scams often surface following a disaster. Before you give,ensure that the charity is registered with the Florida Department ofAgriculture and Consumer Services by calling 1-800-HELPFLA(1-800-435-7352). Never give cash and always write checks payable to theorganization, not an individual.

Bronson says consumers who are educated about the potential dangers anatural disaster presents to health, home and pocketbook are more likely toavoid being harmed or victimized by scam artists.

LABELLE, FL. (May 24, 2004) -- Memorial Day is almost here and that meansthat the Click It or Ticket Safety Belt Enforcement Wave is just around thecorner. Law enforcement officers across the state will be remindingdrivers of one thing - Click It or Ticket.

The enforcement wave begins on May 24th and will run through June 6th. TheHendry County Sheriffs office, as well as agencies throughout Florida andacross the nation, will be out in full force to keep our roadways safer.The objective of the wave is not to write tickets - our goal is to savelives. Buckle Up Florida's Click It or Ticket enforcement wave is part ofa nationwide coordinated effort. During the wave, more than 13,000 lawenforcement agencies throughout the country will be looking for those whodo not buckle up.

The bottom line is that getting people buckled up is one of the mosteffective ways to save lives on Florida's roadways. That's because safetybelts are the best protection in an automobile crash. Yet, many peoplestill refuse to buckle up. Those who do not buckle up account for 60percent of the vehicle occupants killed on our roadways.

This is just a friendly reminder that law enforcement agencies will showzero tolerance for unbuckled motorists. There will be no warnings and noexcuses. Click It or Ticket!

In this, the season of reason, congratulations to all the matriculatingsurvivors of the twelve most signifigant years of "YOUR" lives.Some people will question what do I expect to inform any of the youngergeneration, that they already don't know.Well I'm going to give it that old "college" try, and you'll be glad toknow my bride of 55 years, also finds me very "trying."Since moving to Labelle in May of 1993, I still haven't had anyoneanswer this question. Is DISNEY the only people trap, to be operated bya MOUSE? Strangely enough, that question sorta leads me to compare whatfaces ournew crop of Graduates, in today's, "whose in charge", tumultous world.It is, in this climate of unrest, distrust, and era of uncertainty, thatif I were giving their commencement speech, I might say this.What's the last thing you might expect a graduation guest speakersmessage to be? Here are all these young minds, fresh from 12 years ofaccomplishment, and I'm going to tell them "How to Fail.'Think of all the books and emphasis on success, but failure, no way. Iwould tell them that there are no guarantees for success, no matter howhard you try, and how closely you might follow directions. On the otherhand, failure is almost guaranteed, not just once, but probably manytimes.Failure will occur if you are inconsiderate of others. Many peopleconsider that the world was created for them, and they ignore other'sfeelings. Sharing the diminishing space on this planet is a must.Failure is almost guaranteed if you think you are owed because of yourbeing educated. If anyone is owed, it is all the people who sacrificedto gain victories, and survived defeats, paving the road to provide themany opportunities available to you. Examples might be your greatgrandparents. grandparents, and parents, who, if alive, are in nursinghomes.Failure could be your fate if you think that the only job for you is onethat suits just you. You must suit the job. Trust me on this onebecause I learned the hard way that I was not destined to be an MD, butI have learned to be a good patient.A decision to climb a corporate ladder guarantees many opportunities forfailure. Particularly if you choose to advance up the corporate ladderby stepping on other people on the way up. For it is a known factorthat you have to meet those same people on the way down.Failure will be your reward if: you do not try to right a wrong wheneverpossible when seeing abuse and not speaking out against it,Failure will consume you if: you see corruption, graft and dishonestywithout fighting it. and you accept bad politicians and do not exerciseyour right to vote.Last, but not least, believing that romantic notion that "Love meansnever having to say you're sorry." In reality. the truth is that anyonewho lives long enough to retire learns that love means just theopposite. It means being ABLE to say "I'm SORRY."I'm sure that many of you will still consider life a "Mickey Mouse"operation. but don't forget there are still those jobs at Disney foryour "Chewsing." So you see. "CAPPING" the Gown was just the first giantstep in enablingyou to"FAIL" to "FAIL!!"-T. W. Bill Neville, LaBelle, Florida

NAPLES, FL. (May 26, 2004) -- Two bright and deserving area students andtheir families have received good news >from the Southwest Florida Chapterof MENSA, the high IQ society. The 2004 MENSA Scholarship Winners havebeen announced. Michaela Marie Allen of Gulf Coast High School won a fivehundred dollar Scholarship from the local MENSA Chapter. Jason Guercio ofthe University of Miami won a five hundred dollar scholarship from thelocal MENSA Chapter and the Diana Mossip Memorial Scholarship of $300.00from American Mensa. Mr. Guercio was a previous winner of the prestigiousMensa Scholarships in 2001.

LaBelle, Fl (May 26, 2004) -- Florida Agriculture and Consumer ServicesCommissioner Charles H. Bronson has filed an emergency rule to placerestrictions on the importation of animals from states affected withvesicular stomatitis following a confirmed case in Texas.

Vesicular stomatitis is a highly contagious, viral disease that affectshorses, cattle, swine and occasionally sheep, goats and deer. The viruscan also cause flu-like symptoms in people working with infected animals.Symptoms on animals include blister-like lesions in the mouth, on thetongue, lips, nostrils, hooves and teats. While the virus doesn't usuallykill the animals, it does result in significant weight loss and milkproduction loss.

It is also difficult to distinguish between this virus and foot-and-mouthdisease, a devastating livestock disease found outside the United States.States and other countries often impose movement restrictions on animalfrom vesicular stomatitis-affected areas.

The emergency rule was filed with the Florida Administrative Weekly afterTexas reported a case of the disease on a farm in western Texas with ninehorses and eight cattle. Texas has already quarantined the affectedpremises, prohibiting the export of any hoofed animals from that area.However, the disease could turn up in other areas and, in an abundance ofcaution, the emergency rule will place restrictions on animal imports intoFlorida from Texas.

"I'm pleased to see that Texas has taken immediate action quarantining theimpacted area," Bronson said. "But the possibility that this disease couldbe in other areas makes it imperative that we have rules in place toprevent the disease from being imported into Florida."

The emergency rule will require veterinary inspection from hoofed animalscoming from states affected with vesicular stomatitis to have an officialcertificate of veterinary inspection stating that they are free of clinicalsigns of this disease and have not been exposed nor located within 10 milesof a positive premises within the previous 30 days and that they receiveprior permission in order for them to be imported into Florida. Allanimals meeting these requirements will be quarantined upon entry inFlorida for at least 14 days and be re-inspected by a Departmentrepresentative and found free of disease prior to quarantine release.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Hendry County Sheriff'sOffice announce the arrest of22-year-old Curtis L. Clark of Daytona, Fla. for a double homicide thatoccurred in Hendry County more than a year ago.. Clark is charged with twocounts of second degree murder. Agents say Clark shot and killed MarvinDixon and Melvin Williams on April 24, 2003 in a neighborhood near the cityof Clewiston. Investigators have interviewed numerous witnesses andcollected forensic evidence in this case that leads them to believe Clarkshot both men during an argument while in the victims' vehicle. Clark wasin Hendry County living with family members at the time of the murders.Shortly after the murders, Clark returned to Daytona where he was arrestedon outstanding warrants.

FDLE special agents arrested Clark this morning at the Mayo CorrectionalInstitution while serving time on unrelated drug and probation charges.Agents transported Clark to the Hendry County Jail to face the murdercharges.

Sunday, May 23, 2004

Top News Article | Reuters.com: "CANNES, France (Reuters) - The Cannes film festival has given Michael Moore the perfect platform to harangue President Bush after awarding the controversial U.S. filmmaker one of world cinema's top prizes.
Moore, eager to stir the disenfranchised into voting in November's presidential elections, landed the best film award for 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' a blistering indictment of Bush's handling of Iraq and the war on terror.
'Perhaps this film will have a tremendous impact. I hope it will,' said Moore who said he would be shocked if the documentary did not find a U.S. distributor after being awarded the Palme d'Or.
The Walt Disney company had ordered its Miramax unit not to distribute the politically polarizing documentary in an election year. "

Clewiston, LaBelle, Belle Glade, Moore Haven, Lake Okeechobee - Sunday Morning News: "Hendry and Glades have state's highest jobless rate
LABELLE, FL. (May 23, 2004) -- According to the latest statistics, Hendry County has the state's highest jobless rate, at 8 percent, followed by Glades with 6.5 percent. Following up with the dubious distinction of highest unemployment is Miami-Dade with 6.4 percent and Taylor county with 6.3 percent. Rural north Florida's Lafayette County, has the state's lowest rate at 1.8 percent.
Although Gov. Jeb Bush and his brother's presidential reelection campaign boasted Friday about Florida's unemployment rate, critics from the Democratic side weren't so glowing. 'Jeb Bush must be the governor of fantasy land, because unless the Bush campaign is announcing that they're moving 63,000 manufacturing jobs to Florida to replace the ones that have been lost since George Bush took office, then he still doesn't have a plan to create jobs or build up our middle class,' said Mark Kornblau, a campaign spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. "

Clewiston, LaBelle, Belle Glade, Moore Haven, Lake Okeechobee - Sunday Morning News: "Church Settles Sex Suit
'Father Willy' Romero faces two more
LABELLE, FL. (May 23, 2004) -- A former Catholic school student will collect $135,000 from the Archdiocese of Miami in the first settlement of sexual misconduct lawsuits against William Romero, an ex-priest who lives in LaBelle. At the time of the incidents, the Archdiocese of Miami was the governing diocese for the Southwest Florida student. In 1984 the new Diocese of Venice took jurisdiction.
The inappropriate conduct took place in 1976 when the boy was 12 at the boy's home during a game of leapfrog and later on an overnighter at the St. Ann rectory. At the rectory, Father Willy as he was called, reportedly talked the boy into showering with him and touched the boy's genitals while masturbating himself. Romero, resigned from the clergy last year, faces two other sex abuse cases, including one case from 1982 through 1989 when he was the parish priest at St. Joseph's in Moore Haven. Allegedly he showered weekly with a 9-year old girl and had sex with her two brothers. "

Friday, May 21, 2004

s voters turn their attention toward the coming presidential election, an abiding question from the previous one frustrates Democrats: How is it, they wonder, that Al Gore told small fibs and was branded a liar while George W. Bush told big ones and was elected President? Gore's many exaggerations may have been foolish�that he had somehow invented the Internet, that he grew up on a Tennessee farm, and so on. But surely, this line of thinking goes, they paled alongside Bush's audacious claim that he could cut taxes by $1.3 trillion, effortlessly privatize Social Security, and still balance the budget. "

Yahoo! News Full Coverage - U.S. - More Details Emerge on Abuses of Iraqi Prisoners by U.S. Troops: " AFP Photo
Report: Soldiers Fondled Iraqi Prisoners
(AP) - Some prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison were ridden like animals, fondled by female soldiers, forced to curse their religion and required to retrieve their food from toilets, according to a published report Friday. The Washington Post, in its Friday editions, also published new photographs and shots from a video of the alleged abuse and sexual humiliation of Iraq prisoners by U.S. soldiers. More... "

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

The Washington Dispatch: "Michael Moore to Unleash 'Shock and Awe' before Election
Academy Award winner, Michael Moore is intent on releasing his newest documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, before the November presidential elections. In an all day press spree at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, Moore stated that he had no worries that the film would not make the deadline.

The up-to-date film which was originally to explore Bush's relationship with prominent Saudi families, turns out to be more focused on the invasion of Iraq. Moore also opens the film with his take on the contested 2000 presidential elections"

So says the Washington Dispatch about filmaker Mike Moore, a liberal satirist and writer out to prevent the re-election of George Bush. Can he do it? He seems to have enough ammunition (although he is a pacifist) to gun down the President and his alleged deceit about the war in Iraq. Although it is against the odds to defeat an incumbent President, maybe Moore's film and books will turn the tide, leading voters to turn to the Democratic Party in November?
Comments are welcome....
For more Southwest Florida news see Sunday Morning News for Hendry and Glades County

Sunday, May 16, 2004

Congratulations to all of you who CARED enough to GIVE your very BEST, byattending the Public Workshop with the County LPA, May 12th in Labelle. Foranyone doubting that there is not strength in numbers, you have the publictestimony of the LPA board members as to their respect and gratitude inknowing that YOU, the citizens, are interested in the future of HendryCounty and your PLACE in it.They, the LPA board, acknowledged that if they are to adequately addressall of the growth issues bearing down on the County, they must have yourinput and support. Your Board of County Commissioners chose this method ofdealing with the results of a Northwest Quadrant Survey, by passing it onto the LPA for their recommendations supporting SMART growth for theCounty. Since this Board is made up of citizens, just like you, who else,but you, is betterqualified to communicate what is best for all concerned citizens andtaxpaying property owners, large and small. Keeping in mind that the BOCChas major concerns about how to fund the basic needs of the County, theysee a "pot-of-gold" glimmering in the "serendipity"" of the developersdreams for Hendry County.You as concerned, proactive citizens have to be the stabilizing influencein this torrid romancing by the developers, and ask yourself the question,"Will they still love us in the morning"? Following up on the QuadrantSurvey report, your part time planner indicated that "density", people peracre, should be treated like a commodity, to be bartered and bargained for,on an individual, entreprenurial basis, from and within development todevelopment.Who's to say that in an ideal world that this approach might not beapplicable. On the other hand where is the committment, up front, in theform of Financial Impact Statements and committments from the developersaddressing roads and bridges, water and sewer, education, & health andsafety needs to be met? Isn't the BOCC aready on record about theirability to meet existing basic needs of the current population, with adiminishing agricultural tax base, and Tallahassee budget cutting?See what you've got yourself into by CARING? I'm left with two completelydiverse bits of sardonic wisdom that I trust will encourage you to "pack"the next and subsequent workshops. Each workshop is more imprtant than thelast, as the future of Hendry County is in your hands.The two bits are, " To make a long story short, don't tell it", and "Don'tlet your worries get to you. Remember, Moses started out as a "basket"case."Keep the faith! Do a "Smuckers" on all future public "smart growth"meetings, and "JAM" the joint!T. W. Bill Neville, Hendry County, Florida

LABELLE, Fla. (May 12, 2004) - Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
increased its grapefruit crop forecast for the 2003-2004 season by 500,000
boxes, to 40.5 million boxes. The increase came in the colored varieties, to
24.5 million boxes with white remaining at 16 million boxes.
The orange crop remains at 245 million boxes. Valencias remain at 119 million boxes; Early and Midseason 126 million boxes; and the Navel portion of the estimate is final at 4.3 million boxes.
The Tangerine estimate was increased by 200,000 boxes, from 6.3 million
boxes to 6.5 million boxes, with the Honeys covering the increase from 2.7
million to 2.9 million boxes. Temples remain at 1.4 million boxes; Tangelos
remain at 1 million boxes.
Officials report row counts for grapefruit are slightly behind last season
with 91 percent of the colored grapefruit being harvested. Reconciliation with utilization figures resulted in the increases of both colored grapefruit and Honeys.
The yield for frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) was increased to 1.55
gallons per 90-pound box of oranges. For more Southwest Florida and small town Florida news visit Sunday Morning News

Effective June 1st, 2004, there is a $4 per page increase in the servicecharge associated with recording documents in the Official Records ofHendry County. This service charge increase is being used to providetechnology funds for the Clerks of Courts, the Judges, the State Attorneysand the Public Defenders. Please note this increase is per page. Therefore the cost of recordingdocuments in the Official Records will be $10 for the first page and $8.50for each page thereafter. Please read important notice regarding documentsbeing recorded during May or June 2004.http://www.hendryclerk.org/records20040601.htmAbout a 66% fee increase in one of Florida's poorest counties, and one withthe highest unemployment. Ironically, the county government is one of thelargest employers in Hendry county, employing per capita more workers thanany private company.

Saturday, May 15, 2004

Southwest Florida is probably one of the most exciting areas of the country to be living in...great weather being the biggest factor for most. Sunny skies, moderate winter temperatures and summer not much worse than northern states.

Real estate values continue to climb with cities along the coast showing tremendous increases. Many people are now planning moves or investments into the central regions in the smaller cities and towns like LaBelle, Clewiston, Alva, and Immokalee.

One the country's wealthiest businessmen, Thomas Monaghan has invested millions of his money earned from founding Domino's Pizza into the small community of Immokalee. The Ave Maria University will be the newest Catholic university in the U.S. in 40 years. See Ave Maria University news.